Awards, Accolades and Recognition

Great Lakes Caring

Great Lakes Caring has been on a mission to improve the standard of home health care throughout the Midwest since 1994. Our commitment to providing superior quality health care services in the comfort, security and privacy of our patients’ residence has been recognized by a number of organizations that award companies for excellence in the industry and in business.

Inc. 5000

Great Lakes Caring has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America in back-to-back years (2007, 2008 and 2009). This prestigious honor is bestowed upon the companies who illustrate a consistent growth rate over a period of three years.

The Inc. 5000 serves as a unique report card on the U.S. economy. The companies on the Inc. 5000 are responsible for creating more than 1 million jobs since their founding; making the list perhaps the best example of the impact private, fast-growing companies can have on the economy.

Michigan Award of Excellence for Improving Care in the Home Health Setting

The award honors home health companies in Michigan that are performing quality initiatives aimed at improving patient care. These companies were asked to choose from a list of 41 clinical criteria list defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as national health care priorities. They were required to monitor their plans for improvement in these areas while demonstrating this improvement in the care they provided.

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for West Michigan

Great Lakes Caring CEO, William L. Deary, was named the 2005 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for West Michigan. Since founding Great Lakes Caring with his wife, Cheri Lyn Deary, they have led the charge toward becoming one of the finest and most comprehensive private home health care organizations in the country.

The commitment to superior quality care for every patient is set in the foundation of the company’s responsibility to provide an exceptional quality work environment for every team member. Innovative programs and substantive investment in every employee, in both large and small ways has created a dynamic, trend setting and committed work family.

HomeCare Elite™

In 2011 Great Lakes Caring was named to the HomeCare Elite™ for the fifth consecutive year. The HomeCare Elite is the only performance recognition of its kind in the home health industry. The 2011 HomeCare Elite is brought to the industry by OCS HomeCare, the leading provider of homecare information, and DecisionHealth, publisher of the industry’s most respected independent newsletter Home Health Line and the Complete Home Health ICD-9-CM Diagnosis Coding Manual. The data used for this analysis were compiled from publicly available information. The entire list of the 2011 HomeCare Elite agencies can be viewed by visiting the OCS HomeCare website at www.ocshomecare.com.

National Home Care 100

Great Lakes Caring is a member of the “Home Care 100”—a collection of the nation’s most successful and respected home health providers. The top 100 home health and hospice companies in the nation are asked to accept this honor. Our reputation for providing superior quality care has kept us at the top of the list since 2004.

Great Lakes Caring has been named a Campaign Participant of the 2010-2011 National Home Health Quality Improvement Campaign (HHQI). This marks the second year that Great Lakes Caring has been named a Campaign Participant. We are committed to quality improvement, with professional health care providers ensuring that patients receive the right care at the right time—every time.

The HHQI campaign is a program developed through a collaborative effort among health care leaders, home health agencies and Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs). Home health agencies participating in the campaign will work to reduce the number of avoidable hospitalizations while improving clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction, improving the overall quality of patient health care provided in the home.

Detroit Free Press – Top Workplaces Award

The Top Workplaces award is given out each year by the Detroit Free Press to companies in Michigan based on employee opinions and measures the health of companies in a number of areas. Great Lakes Caring has been recognized and honored to receive the award in 2008, 2009 and 2010. There are over 2,000 Top Workplaces nationally and the recognition positions each one as an industry leader to attract the leading talent

The ACHC sets standards of care that are based upon the consensus of health care professionals who determine elements that should exist in home care organizations who have “gone the extra mile” to assure quality.

ATHENA Award

Cheri Lyn Deary was honored by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce with the ATHENA Award at the Chamber’s annual meeting in 2009. As a Registered Nurse and one of the founders of Great Lakes Caring, Cheri Lyn’s incredible passion for her community, professional excellence and contributions to improving the quality of life for others made her an ideal recipient for the award.

The ATHENA Award is presented annually by chambers of commerce, women’s organizations and universities. It is established through these organizations in partnership with ATHENA International’s national underwriters, local businesses and individual sponsors.

Entrepreneurial Vision Award

The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and South Central Michigan Works! announced William Deary of Great Lakes Caring as the recipient of the 2011 Jackson County Entrepreneurial Vision Award. Deary said, “Encouraging entrepreneurship within our community has always been important to me. New businesses formed by entrepreneurs keep our local economy strong by creating jobs and making investments in the community.”

The Entrepreneurial Vision Award is meant to honor an individual or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the entrepreneurial growth of Jackson County through assisting entrepreneurs to become successful by providing business, educational and/or community support. Specifically this award recognizes an individual or organization that has consistently contributed time, money, encouragement, and/or skill development to further the cause of the entrepreneurial spirit.